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1. Why are we inserting the slant cut shoot at one end and the syringe at
the other end?
2. Look at the picture. Why has the water level varied after
30 minutes? What might have happened there? What are the
conditions required? How much ml of water has been lost?
3. When water is lost through plants, which of the following helps in escaping the water molecules from plant?
a) Guard-cells
b) Xylem vessels
c) Sieve tubes
d) Stomata
4. In one of the experiments to demonstrate transpiration, we used cobalt chloride paper. What are the
characteristics of this paper that suit the experiment?
Observations:
Fill in the table by observing the water lost by the plant in the sun light:
After 20 min
After 30 min
Place the Potometer at different conditions. After 30 minutes, how does the transpiration rate vary in those
conditions when compared to the plant that is placed in normal conditions (control plant)?
Humidity
Wind
Light
a) Stomatal cells
b) Guard cells
c) Stem cells
d) Leaf cells
S cientific Principle
Transpiration:
All plants continuously absorb water through their roots. This water is conducted upwards from their roots. This
water is conducted upwards through the stem and is distributed to all the aerial parts including the leaves. Only a
small quantity of this water is used by the plant in photosynthesis and other activities. The rest of it is almost lost to
the atmosphere as water vapour during transpiration.
Transpiration is the loss of water as water vapour from the aerial
parts of the plant.
• Transpiration is responsible for plant growth & hence maintaining a balanced ecosys-
tem. Evapo-transpiration is an important part of the water cycle.
Transpiration rate of plants can be measured by a number of techniques, including
potometers, lysimeters, porometers, and heat balance sap flow gauges.
• Transpiration helps in:
a. Cooling effect: Plants cool themselves when it is hot outside. The latent heat in the
plant helps in evaporation of water keeping the air around it cooler. Since the water
molecules in air become heavier, they settle down & make the surroundings pleasant.
b. It enables mass flow of mineral nutrients and water from roots to shoots maintain-
ing the sap concentration. If there is no transpiration, sap gets diluted preventing the
water & mineral absorption required by the plant.
Extensions/ Challenges
• Replicate the experiment by placing four similar shoots - one directly under the sun, another one in dark,
another one in front of a fan & the fourth one inside a refrigerator for about two hours. Observe the amount of
water before & after the experiment & infer.
• In the absence of transpiration pull, living root cells passively absorb water via osmosis creating root pressure. It is
possible for there to be no evapo-transpiration (Evaporation+Transpiration) and therefore no pull of water towards the
shoots and leaves. This is usually due to high temperatures, high humidity, darkness or drought.
FUN FACTS